Wednesday, August 25th, 2021 

Rebel fighters begin withdrawing from the southern Daraa Governorate as part of a Russian-brokered truce aimed at ending fighting in the restive province. The rebels will be allowed safe passage to the opposition-held Idlib in the north-west as part of the agreement. (The Defense Post via AFP) 

OnlyFans reverses its decision to ban pornographic content, saying in part that the ban is “no longer required due to banking partners’ assurances that OnlyFans can support all genres of creators”. (WABI-TV) 

The Japanese government announces the expansion of the full state of emergency to eight prefectures and the quasi-state of emergency to four prefectures beginning on August 27, which brings the number of prefectures under all types of emergency measures to 33. These emergency measures will remain in effect until September 12. (AP) 

Kazakhstan announces that beginning on August 28, in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19, unvaccinated people will be banned from entering shopping malls, restaurants and cafés unless they show proof of vaccination, a negative test result, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the past three months and have a “green” status on a mobile app. (Reuters) 

Taiwan reports zero community transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours for the first time since the country’s largest outbreak began in May. (The Guardian) 

Argentina announces that it will receive 20 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and that these doses will mainly be used to vaccinate teenagers. (El Cordillerano) 

Switzerland signs an agreement with Pfizer to supply a total of 14 million doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 2022 and 2023, which also includes an option to supply an additional 7 million vaccine doses in subsequent years. (Barron’s) 

The Pentagon announces that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandatory for the U.S. military after the FDA approved the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. (U.S. News & World Report) 

Arkansas reports 354 patients that are on ventilators, a new single-day record. (KAIT) 

Benin identifies an outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 avian flu in Sèmè-Kpodji and Abomey-Calavi near the capital Porto Novo. (Reuters) 

President Rodrigo Duterte accepts the nomination of the ruling PDP–Laban party to run for Vice-President of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 presidential elections. (Rappler) 

The Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly approves all but one of Ebrahim Raisi‘s nominees for his cabinet, including anti-West Hossein Amirabdollahian as foreign minister. The designation of Ahmad Vahidi was also approved as minister of the interior. Argentina reiterates its “most energetic condemn” to Vahidi’s designations as he is wanted by both Argentina and Interpol for alleged involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing. (Notimérica)  

The End Thursday 

Wednesday, August 25th, 2021 

House narrowly passes $3.5 trillion budget framework The House on Tuesday advanced a $3.5 trillion budget plan seeking to expand social safety net and climate programs. The 220-212 vote along party lines came after Democratic leaders overcame objections from moderates who did not want to approve the budget before House action on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quelled the revolt by tying the two measures together in one vote that passed the budget and committed the House to addressing the infrastructure proposal by Sept. 27. The budget framework was approved by the Senate earlier this month. It will let Democrats move forward with a process known as reconciliation, which would allow Senate Democrats to avoid a filibuster and pass their plan without Republican votes. “Today is a great day of pride for our country and for Democrats,” Pelosi said. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Taliban says no more Afghans can go to Kabul airport The Taliban said Tuesday it would not let any more Afghans through to the airport to leave the country. It also said it was against extending evacuation flights beyond the Aug. 31 deadline for a full U.S. and coalition military withdrawal from the country. “We are not in favor of allowing Afghans to leave,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. “They [the Americans] have the opportunity, they have all the resources, they can take all the people that belong to them but we are not going to allow Afghans to leave and we will not extend the deadline,” he said. President Biden previously said the U.S. would stay as long as it takes to complete the evacuations, but he said Tuesday that the U.S. would honor the deadline. CNBC 

Supreme Court upholds ruling calling for reinstating Remain in Mexico program The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to block a lower court ruling ordering the Biden administration to revive former President Donald Trump’s policy requiring people to wait in Mexico while U.S. authorities review their applications for asylum in the United States. The court’s conservative majority, with three liberal justices dissenting, found that the administration likely violated the law by trying to end the Remain in Mexico policy. The lower court ruling called for the federal government to make a “good faith effort” to reinstate the program. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it regrets the ruling and would continue to challenge the order by a district court in Texas. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

CDC report details unvaccinated people’s elevated COVID risk Unvaccinated people are roughly 29 times more likely than fully vaccinated to be hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Tuesday. The study, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also concluded that the unvaccinated were nearly five times more likely to get infected, based on data recorded in Los Angeles county between May 1 and July 25. As of Monday, 171 million Americans, or 51.5 percent of the total U.S. population, were fully vaccinated. More than 201 million, or 60.8 percent of the total, had received at least one coronavirus vaccine shot. President Biden said Monday that “virtually all” U.S. COVID hospitalizations and deaths were among the unvaccinated. CNBC 

Expanding Caldor Fire approaches Lake Tahoe basin The rapidly expanding Caldor Fire is threatening the Lake Tahoe basin and has become the “No. 1 priority” for U.S. firefighting resources as dozens of wildfires spread in the West, Chief Thom Porter, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Tuesday. The blaze has destroyed 632 structures, including 450 homes, as it exploded to cover 123,000 acres since starting 10 days ago. It was just 11 percent contained late Tuesday. Fire officials said it was possible that evacuation orders would have to be extended closer to Lake Tahoe, a popular vacation spot straddling the California-Nevada state line. More than 2,100 people, including 50 fire crews, have been sent to battle the flames with 22 helicopters and 200 fire engines. USA TODAY 

Airbnb promises temporary housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees Airbnb announced Tuesday that it would offer temporary housing for 20,000 Afghan refugees. The home-sharing company and its nonprofit Airbnb.org will work with resettlement agencies to determine the needs of refugees who have fled Afghanistan since the Taliban’s takeover last week, and place them around the world. “The displacement and resettlement of Afghan refugees in the U.S. and elsewhere is one of the biggest humanitarian crises of our time,” tweeted Brian Chesky, co-founder and chief executive officer of Airbnb. “We feel a responsibility to step up.” The U.S. said Monday it had helped evacuate 48,000 people since Aug. 14. Airbnb said it had housed 165 Afghan refugees in the U.S. and was working with hosts to accommodate more. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Kathy Hochul sworn in as New York’s 1st female governor Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York’s 57th governor on Tuesday, hours after her fellow Democrat Andrew Cuomo stepped down rather than face likely impeachment over sexual harassment allegations. Hochul, a 62-year-old former congresswoman from Buffalo, made history as the first woman to serve in the state’s highest office. Hochul had served as lieutenant governor but ascended to the top job three weeks after a state attorney general investigation concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed several women. Hochul vowed to preside over a new era of civility and consensus, and to lead the state through the latest coronavirus surge. “I want people to believe in their government again,” she said in a brief news conference shortly after being sworn in. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Iranian prison chief apologizes after hacked videos show abuse The head of Iran’s prison authority issued a rare official apology on Tuesday after hackers released footage showing guards beating inmates at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for political detainees and foreigners. The video was distributed to news outlets and first reported by the Associated Press. The time stamps on the footage indicates it was from 2020 and 2021. The images include what appears to be a suicide attempt by a prisoner using glass from a smashed mirror. Other clips show guards repeatedly striking or kicking prisoners. “I take responsibility for these unacceptable behaviors,” Mohammed Mehdi Haj-Mohammadi, the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization, said via Twitter. “I will commit to not letting these horrific incidents being repeated, and deal seriously with law breakers.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Giuliani associate Igor Fruman expected to plead guilty Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, is expected to plead guilty this week on campaign finance fraud charges, according to court records recently made public. Fruman, who helped Giuliani in his political support of former President Donald Trump, is scheduled to appear in federal court for a change-of-plea hearing on Wednesday, which often signals a plea deal. Fruman and co-defendant Lev Parnas, both Soviet-born Ukrainian emigres, were solicited by Giuliani for help finding information to damage President Biden’s campaign ahead of the 2020 election. They have been charged with illegally funneling foreign funds into the U.S. political system. Both have entered not guilty pleas. Giuliani has not been accused of any crimes, but prosecutors are investigating his relationship with Fruman and Parnas. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts dies at 80 Charlie Watts, longtime drummer for the Rolling Stones, died Tuesday at a London hospital. He was 80. His spokesperson said in a statement that Watts died surrounded by his family. “Charlie was a cherished husband, father, and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation,” the statement said. The band had said earlier this month that Watts was unlikely to resume touring with his bandmates due to an undisclosed medical issue. Watts joined the Stones in 1963, a year after the band was formed, and was widely considered one of the most influential drummers in rock ‘n’ roll history. He underwent treatment for throat cancer in 2004. “Charlie Watts was the ultimate drummer,” Elton John posted on Twitter. “The most stylish of men, and such brilliant company.”  THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Tuesday,  August 24th, 2021 

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid says that the group will not allow any more evacuations of Afghan citizens and that the “main road to the airport is now blocked” and “people should return to work”. Mujahid also said that the United States must stick to its August 31 withdrawal deadline. (CNN) 

United Kingdom Government officials confirm that an individual was accidentally flown from Kabul to Birmingham, England, where he was flagged as being a part of a terrorist no-fly list.(BBC) 

U.S. President Joe Biden says that around 70,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan. He also announces that the United States will stick to its August 31 deadline, but says that there should be “contingency plans” if necessary. (KVIA-TV)  

U.S. Reps. Peter Meijer and Seth Moulton travel to Kabul. However, the U.S. State Department, Defense Department, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issue a warning for lawmakers not to travel to Afghanistan. (Politico) 

India approves the phase II and III trials of the country’s first domestic MRNA-based HGC019 vaccine made by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals after the early-stage study found that the vaccine is safe and effective. (Al Jazeera) 

A U.S. donation of 500,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine via COVAX Initiative is arrived in Gaza Strip and West Bank. (Reuters) 

The Greek government announces new measures that would require COVID-19 testing for all unvaccinated employees and university students at their own expense with the exception of school students and also restrict access to restaurants, bars, cafés, and indoor entertainment and sport venues to only those who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from COVID-19. The new rules will be in effect from September 13 until March 31, 2022. (AP) 

Greece reports a record 4,608 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 566,812. (Ekathimerini) 

The French national health regulator Haute Autorité de Santé recommends a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 and those with existing health conditions, which was previously announced by Health minister Olivier Véran yesterday. The booster doses will be administered beginning at the end of October. (Euronews) 

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control approves the Sinopharm BBIBP-CorV vaccine for emergency use in Nigeria. (Vanguard) 

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris‘s trip to Vietnam from Singapore is postponed for several hours following reports of cases of Havana syndrome in Hanoi. Additionally, two other U.S. staff are evacuated from the country. (Forbes) 

Senior member of the yakuza, Satoru Nomura, is sentenced to death by hanging by a court in Fukuoka, Japan, for ordering four assaults, one of which was deadly. Nomura has denied participating in the crimes. It is the first time that a senior member of Japan’s yakuza has been sentenced to death. (BBC) 

Andrew Cuomo‘s resignation as Governor of New York comes into effect. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul is sworn in, making her the first woman to serve as governor of New York. (NBC News) 

Hakainde Hichilema is sworn in as the 7th President, succeeding Edgar Lungu. (Al Jazeera) 

Pelosi, 10 Democratic holdouts stalemate on budget and infrastructure bills The House on Monday postponed a planned vote on advancing a $3.5 trillion spending proposal that is a key part of President Biden’s economic agenda. The stalemate came as a group of 10 centrist Democrats failed to agree on a path forward for the budget and a separate $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The chamber will reconvene on Tuesday as Democrats try to strike a deal to move forward. The Senate has approved the infrastructure bill and the larger budget blueprint. The 10 Democratic holdouts, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), are demanding that the House clear the bipartisan bill before authorizing Democrats to write the larger package, but Pelosi, with Biden’s approval, has lashed the bills together to keep all factions of the party invested in their success. CNBC 

Taliban warns U.S. not to extend troop withdrawal deadline A Taliban spokesman on Monday warned the United States not to leave troops in Afghanistan beyond the Aug. 31 deadline for a full withdrawal, saying that would amount to crossing a “red line” that would amount to “extending occupation.” President Biden has said he was considering keeping some military forces in the country beyond the deadline to ensure that all Americans could be evacuated. British media has reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to request an extension. The Pentagon is accelerating the evacuation effort to get out U.S. citizens and Afghan allies desperate to escape Taliban rule. The Pentagon has deployed helicopters and special forces beyond the airport to help people get out. THE WASHINGTON POST 

FDA grants full approval for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine The Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted full, formal approval for the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The decision made the Pfizer vaccine the first to win the designation in the United States, potentially making more businesses and schools likely to impose vaccine mandates. Previously, the vaccine had only emergency-use authorization, which some vaccine skeptics cited as a reason not to take it. FDA regulators have been under pressure to make a decision since the drugmakers submitted the application for full approval in May. FDA scientists concluded that it met their “high standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality,” acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement, adding that “the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated.”  CNBC 

NYC requires teachers to get vaccinated New York City’s public school district, the largest in the nation, will require teachers and other staffers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus following approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, officials said Monday. The city previously had said teachers, like other city employees, would have to be vaccinated or get tested for coronavirus weekly. The new policy will force about 148,000 school employees, as well as contractors, to get at least their first vaccine dose by Sept. 27. “We want our schools to be extraordinarily safe,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said the union’s priority is “keeping our kids safe,” but the mandate should have been negotiated. The Pentagon also announced a vaccine mandate for service members on Monday.NPR 

Capitol Police: Officer who fatally shot rioter followed department policy The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot pro-Trump rioter Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters will face no disciplinary action, the department said Monday. Capitol Police policy permits officers to use deadly force only when they believe their action is necessary to defend human life, including their own. Babbitt was shot when the crowd she was in pushed toward a barricaded doorway into the Speaker’s Lobby that was guarded by Capitol Police. The Justice Department said in April there was no evidence to support charges against the officer, who was not identified because he has faced death threats. Lawyers for Babbitt’s family have said they plan to file a civil rights lawsuit.CNN 

Cuomo defends record in farewell speech  Andrew Cuomo defended his record as governor in a farewell speech on Monday and said it was unfair that he had to resign, blaming a “media frenzy” over sexual harassment allegations. Cuomo stepped down and power was transferred at midnight to Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who became New York’s first female governor. Cuomo, a Democrat, announced his resignation just under two weeks ago rather than face likely impeachment over the allegations. The report that led to his resignation, which was created at the direction of Attorney General Letitia James, concluded that Cuomo had sexually harassed or inappropriately touched 11 women. Cuomo said it was “designed to be a political firecracker on an explosive topic, and it did work.” Critics called Cuomo’s remarks self-serving. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Proud Boys leader sentenced to 5 months  Henry Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, was sentenced Monday to more than five months in jail after admitting to burning a Black Lives Matter banner and attempting to possess a high-capacity ammunition magazine in Washington, D.C., where they are illegal. Tarrio, known to followers as Enrique, was arrested in January in connection with a rally in the nation’s capital during which the banner was taken from a historic Black church, Asbury United Methodist. Prosecutors said the torching of the banner “had profound emotional and psychological effect upon the church and its members.” Tarrio, who is from Miami, had bragged on social media that he was “damn proud I did it!” NBC NEWS 

Walmart launches last-mile delivery service Walmart on Tuesday launched a delivery service called Walmart GoLocal that offers other merchants deliveries across the United States. The opening of the service ahead of the crucial holiday shopping season will let the world’s largest retailer broaden its business. Walmart GoLocal will send workers from Walmart’s Spark delivery network to pick up items from other businesses and deliver them to shoppers. In the past year, Walmart has doubled Spark’s coverage to more than 500 cities. Walmart has this year started test runs for its first company-branded “last-mile” delivery vans, following the lead of online retail giant Amazon. Walmart’s move came after e-commerce demand left delivery companies struggling to keep up last holiday season. REUTERS 

Hawaii governor urges people to avoid non-essential travel to islands Hawaii Gov. David Ige on Monday urged visitors and residents to avoid travel to the islands except for essential business to help control a COVID-19 outbreak fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. “It is a risky time to be traveling right now,” said Ige, calling for limited travel through October. Ige, a Democrat, stopped short of banning travel, saying the current crisis was different from the one that prompted strict travel restrictions last year and essentially shut down the state’s vital tourism industry. Now, vaccines are widely available and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say fully vaccinated people can travel domestically. Ige said he supports Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s restrictions on gatherings, which modeling shows can dramatically reduce exposure risks. NPR 

Arizona GOP election ‘audit’ delayed after Cyber Ninjas COVID infections The Florida firm hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to review the 2020 election results in Maricopa County was supposed to submit its final report on Monday, but the document was delayed because the CEO of the company doing the review and two others on the five-person audit team “have tested positive for COVID-19 and are quite sick,” Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) said. Fann suggested on Twitter that some leaders of the company, Cyber Ninjas, are hospitalized. The audit of the results in Maricopa County, which gave President Biden his Arizona margin of victory in 2020, has split the state GOP. Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, Republican Maricopa County officials, and independent election experts have all criticized what they describe as serious flaws in the audit process. THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC 

Monday,  August 23rd, 2021 

The Taliban claim to have recaptured three districts in Baghlan Province that had been taken by local militias allied with Ahmad Massoud and Amrullah Saleh. Massoud and Saleh have established their resistance in the Panjshir Valley. (Yahoo! News) (Reuters) 

The brother of deposed president Ashraf Ghani, Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, says he accepts that the Taliban won the war but that he “will not join them” and also calls for the formation of an inclusive government without Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and former president Hamid Karzai, blaming both men for “ruining the country”. (India Today) 

A security guard is killed and three more people are wounded in a gunfight between an unknown gunman and Afghan forces at the north gate of Kabul airport. German and American forces are also involved in the shooting. (Reuters) 

Syrian Army troops and pro-Iranian militias launch a major ground assault on a rebel-held enclave in the city of Daraa. Rebel forces say that they have repulsed the attack from the western side of the enclave. State media says that the army was preparing to end a “state of lawlessness and chaos” and “reimpose army control” in the city. (Reuters) 

The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions the chief of staff of the Eritrean Defense Forces Filipos Woldeyohannes, accusing him of leading his troops to commit multiple war crimes, including rapes, executions, massacres, looting, torture and purposely shooting civilians. The Department also called for the “immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops” from Tigray. (Al Jazeera) 

Around 400 homes are destroyed in the Caldor Fire in El Dorado County, California. Additionally, U.S. Route 50 remains closed in the area. (The Sacramento Bee) 

Taiwan begins the “contested” rollout of its first domestically-produced MVC COVID-19 vaccine, with President Tsai Ing-Wen among the first Taiwanese to receive a dose of the protein subunit vaccine. (Nikkei Asia) 

Vietnam imposes their toughest lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, prohibiting people from leaving their homes and also deploying the Vietnamese People’s Army in order to enforce the lockdown in the country’s largest city amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths. (U.S. News and World Report) 

Belarus will receive $1 billion from the International Monetary Fund to help fight the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. (Politico.eu) 

Germany drops incidence levels from its yardstick for deciding if restrictions should be in force to contain the spread of COVID-19 as more people are vaccinated. (Reuters) 

The United Kingdom signs an agreement with Pfizer to secure 35 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine due to be delivered in the second half of 2022 as the government focuses on a “future-proof vaccine programme” to prevent any virus variants that are resistant to the vaccine. (BBC) 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announces that New Jersey will require teachers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by October 18 or face mandatory COVID-19 testing. (The Center Square) 

The Food and Drug Administration gives full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, becoming the first vaccine in the U.S. to be granted full licensure and thereby giving businesses, schools and universities more confidence to adopt vaccine mandates. (CNBC) 

Palm Beach County announces that fans will be required to wear masks at athletic events amidst a cancellation of high school events in the county. (Palm Beach Post) 

Washington reimposes its indoor mask mandate, requiring people over the age of 5 to wear masks in indoor public spaces regardless of their vaccination status. (Patch.com) 

The patient zero of the Lineage B.1.617 Delta variant in Argentina, a 62-year-old Peruvian national, dies from the disease. The man had been indicted while hospitalized with multiple crimes related to him not informing the authorities about his symptoms, breaching quarantine, entering the country unvaccinated and infecting 13 other people. (Perfil) 

Egypt reports its first case of the Delta Plus variant in a 35-year-old Egyptian woman who had shown “very mild” symptoms in July. (Ahram Online) 

Poland announces that it will build a wall on its border with Belarus in order to stop the flow of migrants entering the country through Belarus. (Euronews) 

Anti-vax protesters storm the ITN headquarters in London, United Kingdom. (The Independent) 

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio is sentenced to more than five months in prison after admitting to burning a Black Lives Matter banner from a Black church during a pro-Trump rally on December 12 of last year. (NBC News) 

The End Wednesday 

 
Afghan resistance fighters challenge Taliban Former Afghan soldiers and other resistance fighters drove Taliban militants out of three mountain districts north of Kabul, former Afghan officials said Sunday. “The resistance is still alive,” former acting defense minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi aid. The fighting reportedly occurred on Friday after Taliban forces, who took Kabul and seized power a week ago, started conducting house-to-house searches. The resistance fighters said they killed 30 Taliban militants, although a pro-Taliban Twitter account said the toll was half that. President Biden said Sunday that he was in “discussions” to extend the deadline for withdrawing the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan beyond Aug. 31 as a massive effort to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies fleeing the Taliban accelerates. THE NEW YORK TIMESTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Henri downs power lines, drenches New England Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in Rhode Island on Sunday, knocking out power to 74,000 customers in the state. Another 20,000 lost electricity in Connecticut. The storm was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm shortly before hitting the shore, but it still had 60-mile-per-hour sustained winds, with gusts up to 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. Henri drenched parts of New England with heavy rains and high tides as it pushed inland, flooding roads and forcing the closure of numerous bridges. President Biden on Sunday promised federal aid, declaring disasters in much of the Northeast to clear the way for emergency funds. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Biden job approval falls to low point President Biden’s approval rating has fallen below 50 percent for the first time in his presidency, according to an NBC poll released Sunday. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they approved of Biden’s job performance, while 48 percent disapproved. The poll, taken from Aug. 14-17, showed that Biden took hits from disappointment over rising COVID-19 cases and chaos associated with the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized power a week ago. Biden’s handling of the pandemic has long been a strong point for him. The poll found that only 53 percent approved of Biden’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, down 16 points from April. NBC NEWSUSA TODAY 

Harris touts discussions with Singapore on supply-chain resilience Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday sought to reassure allies in Asia about the U.S. commitment to the region despite concerns about the Afghanistan withdrawal, announcing that the U.S. and Singapore were working on boosting supply-chain resilience. At the start of a Southeast Asia trip, Harris also noted a series of agreements with Singapore on cybersecurity, climate, and public health. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong offered help with the U.S. evacuation effort in Afghanistan, and said the U.S. played a key role as “regional guarantor of security and support of prosperity” in Asia. “We are watching what’s happening in Afghanistan on the TV screens today, but what will influence perceptions of U.S. resolve and commitment to the region will be what the U.S. does going forward,” Lee said. REUTERSBLOOMBERG 

Tennessee flooding death toll rises The death toll from severe flooding in central Tennessee rose to at least 22 on Sunday after some areas saw up to 17 inches of rain. Dozens of other people remained missing. “We are asking that residents please stay out of neighborhoods and roadways while the rescue effort is underway,” Waverly Chief of Public Safety Grant Gillespie said in a statement. Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis told CNN affiliate WSMV that up to seven children were among the missing. “They just went and got one of my best friends and recovered him. He drowned in this,” the sheriff said. “It’s tough, but we’re going to move forward.” CNNCNBC 

Egypt closes Gaza border crossing after violence Egypt closed its border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Monday. The Palestinian group confirmed that Egypt said it would stop traffic across the border in both directions. The Jerusalem Post reported that Egyptian authorities said the decision was made for security reasons after cross-border clashes. Israeli aircraft struck targets in Gaza after a flurry of gunfire from Gaza into Israel, seriously wounding an Israeli border policeman. Another officer was shot by a Palestinian militant during a border riot. An Israeli-led blockade has long severely restricted the movement of people and goods through Rafah, the sole crossing between Gaza and Egypt. THE JERUSALEM POST 

Haitians hold funerals a week after earthquake Grieving Haitians on Sunday buried many of the 2,200 people confirmed to have been killed in the Caribbean nation’s recent 7.2-magnitude earthquake, which devastated areas still struggling to recover from Hurricane Matthew, a Category 5 storm that hit Haiti’s southwest peninsula in 2016. At the Paroisse Saint-Joseph De Simon Roman Catholic Church on the edge of the devastated city of Les Cayes, about 200 worshippers gathered early for the first Sunday mass since the quake. “Everyone was crying today for what they had lost,” said the priest, Marc Orel Saël. “And everyone is stressed because the earth is still shaking” with aftershocks. The earthquake hit as the country struggled with political tensions following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last month. REUTERS 

Maddow signs deal to stay at MSNBC Rachel Maddow has signed a new contract with MSNBC that will keep her in the network’s lineup for several years, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Maddow’s The Rachel Maddow Show is a prime-time flagship for the cable news channel. Maddow is expected to continue to host her show for MSNBC on weekdays, some of the Journal‘s sources said. She also will develop projects for a new partnership with NBCUniversal. The deal followed speculation that Maddow might leave the network to start her own media company. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Don Everly of the Everly Brothers dies at 84 Don Everly, half of the Everly Brothers duo, died over the weekend at his Nashville home, his daughter Erin Everly confirmed on Sunday. He was 84. Everly and his younger brother, Phil, nearly matched the popularity of Elvis Presley at the peak of their fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their first million-seller, “Bye Bye Love” established them as one of the biggest acts in country music in 1957. They went on to appear on TV’s The Ed Sullivan Show and radio’s The Grand Ole Opry, influencing a generation of musical acts with their fraternal harmony. They had 12 records hit the top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100. THE WASHINGTON POST 

France to re-bury Josephine Baker in Pantheon France’s presidential palace confirmed Sunday that Josephine Baker, a U.S.-born dancer and civil rights activist who became a French citizen in 1937, will be laid to rest in the Pantheon alongside other French heroes like Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie. Baker, who died in Paris in 1975 and is currently buried in Monaco, joined the French Resistance during World War II, earning medals of honor for her work as an ambulance driver and intelligence agent. She will be the first Black woman and first entertainer buried in the Pantheon. She will be the fifth woman given that honor, alongside 72 men. The funeral, first reported by France’s Le Parisien newspaper, will take place Nov. 30. USA TODAY 

The End

Sunday, August 22nd, 2021 

Ahmad Massoud, who is leading the Panjshir resistance along with self-proclaimed acting president Amrullah Saleh, refuses to surrender the Panjshir Valley to the Taliban and says that war is “unavoidable” if the Taliban refuse dialogue on the formation of a comprehensive government. (Al-Arabiya English) 

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid says that they will form a new government soon. (The Times) 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the U.S. will ensure that all American citizens will be evacuated to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (ABC News) 

Austin also announces that the U.S. Department of Defense will activate the Civil Reserve Air Fleet for the third time and send 18 planes that will be used by the U.S. military to help evacuate American citizens. (Forbes) 

U.S. President Joe Biden says that American troops may remain in Afghanistan beyond the August 31 deadline. He also announces that 11,000 people were evacuated from the country in the past 36 hours. (NBC News) 

Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott announces that the network has evacuated 24 people from Afghanistan, including three Afghan nationals who assisted with the network’s coverage of the war. (Variety) 

The Netherlands increases its military presence in Afghanistan to help evacuate 700 Dutch nationals and Afghan allies. Dutch foreign minister Sigrid Kaag said last Friday that multiple Afghans are eligible for evacuation to the Netherlands. (Reuters) 

During a meeting with Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tehran, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi urged Japan to release $3 billion in Iranian assets frozen in Japan due to international sanctions against Iran. (Reuters) 

The End Monday 

Taliban attempting to control crowds at Kabul airport The situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul reportedly remained chaotic and dangerous on Sunday as many Afghans continue to try to evacuate the country following the Taliban’s takeover of the capital city. No major injuries have been reported on Sunday, even as the Taliban fired in the air and used batons to make people line up in orderly fashion outside the airport gates. But the British defense ministry said seven Afghans were killed in the crush around the airport on Saturday; a NATO official said at least 20 people have died in the past week. Some victims were shot, others were killed in stampedes, witnesses have said, per Reuters. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has sent signals suggesting U.S. troops, who to this point have remained at the airport, may stage operations beyond the gates to help get American citizens and Afghan civilians who aided the U.S. military out of the country. REUTERS 

Biden administration activates civilian aircraft to aid Afghanistan evacuation The Biden administration on Sunday activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, which means commercial airlines in the United States will provide flights to aid evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. Three aircraft each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines will be put into service. These planes won’t fly into Afghanistan, however. Instead, they’ll be used to transport the evacuees who have already left the country and are stranded at U.S. military bases in places like Germany, Qatar, and Bahrain. The CRAF program was created after the 1948-9 Berlin Airlift, an early Cold War crisis during which the Soviet Union blocked access to sectors of the divided city controlled by Western powers. It was previously activated ruing Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990 and 1991, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2002 and 2003. CNBC 

Israel strikes Hamas weapons sites after violent border demonstrations  The Israeli military bombed four Hamas weapons and storage manufacturing sites in the Gaza Strip on Sunday following a demonstration that turned violent at a fortified border fence on Saturday. Hundreds of Palestinians attended the protest, which was organized by Hamas and aimed at drawing attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the territory. Dozens of the demonstrators approached the fence and threw rocks and explosives toward Israeli soldiers, the military said. At least 41 Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy, were injured after Israeli forces returned gunfire, the Gaza health ministry said, and an Israeli Border Police officer was shot and critically injured.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Trump blasts Biden’s Afghanistan exit during Alabama rally Former President Donald Trump held a rally in support of Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who is running for a Senate seat, in Cullman, Alabama, on Saturday. During his speech, Trump again took aim at President Biden for the strategy behind the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, an outcome that he pushed for heavily during his time in the White House. “This will go down as one of the great military defeats of all time and it did not have to happen that way,” Trump told the crowd of his supporters, which reportedly numbered in the thousands. “This was not a withdrawal, this was a total surrender, for no reason.” Trump said the exit makes the U.S. departure from Vietnam look like a “masterclass.” He also defended his administration’s deal with the Taliban — whom he described as “great negotiators” and “tough fighters” — arguing that it was a “conditions-based agreement.”  REUTERS 

Saturday, August 21st, 2021 

Seven people are killed during a stampede at the airport in Kabul. (Reuters) 

United States Army major general William D. Taylor announces that the United States has evacuated 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, in the past few weeks. (CNBC) 

The U.S. and Germany both issue advisories warning nationals not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul almost a week after the Taliban took control. (Reuters) 

The European Union says that there will be “no recognition, no political talks” with the Taliban. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says that the EU will “measure the Taliban by their deeds and actions” before engaging in any recognition. Von der Leyen also announced an increase in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

Afghan-American LGBT rights activist Nemat Sadat says that gay Afghans are facing death under the Taliban, as a 21-year-old man from Balkh Province says that he is trying to seek asylum and thinks that he may never see his boyfriend again. Another gay man from Kabul who worked for the United Nations described the current situation for homosexuals as a “nightmare”. (Yahoo! News) 

Former president of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez cuts her arm while in jail in what was allegedly a suicide attempt. (El Comercio) (Reuters) 

Ismail Sabri Yaakob is sworn in as the ninth prime minister of Malaysia. (CNA) 

The End Sunday 

Biden vows to get Americans in Afghanistan home  Speaking from the White House amid the chaos that has unfolded since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban, Biden said the United States has evacuated about 13,000 people from the country since Aug. 14th amid “one of the largest, most difficult airlifts in history.” He promised that, “Any American who wants to come home, we will get you home,” vowing to “mobilize every resource necessary” in this effort. The president also said the United States will be making this “same commitment” to Afghans who assisted in the war effort. Biden said, though, that he “cannot promise what the final outcome” of the “dangerous” evacuation mission will be, or “that it will be without risk of loss,” and he did not commit to the evacuation being completed by the end of August.    THE WEEKCBS NEWS 

FDA reportedly set to grant Pfizer vaccine full approval next week  The Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine next week, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post report, citing people familiar with the planning. The agency previously cleared the two-dose shot for emergency use in December. Public health officials are hopeful removing the emergency tag will convince some Americans who remain hesitant about getting vaccinated to receive their shots, and it’s also expected that the FDA ruling will prompt more businesses and institutions to impose vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, Moderna is still completing rolling data submissions before it files for full approval for its vaccine, while Johnson & Johnson said it plans to file for full approval later this year. 

THE WALL STREET JOURNALTHE WASHINGTON POST 

Hurricane Grace makes landfall in Mexico  Hurricane Grace made landfall on the eastern coast of Mexico early Saturday as a category 3 storm. The National Hurricane Center said strong winds will continue to batter the region through the morning and heavy rainfall — which in some areas reportedly could reach up to a foot — will bring the risk of flash floods and mudslides over the course of the weekend. Grace had already hit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula earlier this week before weakening to a tropical storm and restrengthening again. The northeastern United States is also bracing for a potential hurricane as Tropical Storm Henri heads that way — the gale is expected to strengthen before making landfall either in New York’s Long Island or southern New England, the NHC said. THE GUARDIANCNN 

Taliban co-founder arrives in Kabul for government talks Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar arrived in Kabul on Saturday for talks on establishing a new government, Agence France-Presse and BBC report. A senior Taliban official told AFP that Baradar, who arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan, from Qatar last Tuesday after the insurgency had retaken Kabul, will meet with “jihadi leaders and politicians” to discuss “an inclusive government setup.” The Taliban claims its rule will be different from the last time it was in control of most of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001. The group, however, has not given many details on what this means, or who else will be included in the government, though Afghan political leaders like Abdullah Abdullah and former President Hamid Karzai remain in Kabul and are talking with Taliban leaders. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSEBBC 

California judge rules gig worker measure unconstitutional  A California judge on Friday ruled that Proposition 22, a 2020 ballot measure that exempted ride-share and food delivery drivers from a California labor law requiring more companies to hire workers as employees and provide them benefits, is unconstitutional. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch wrote that Proposition 22 “limits the power of a future legislature to define app-based drivers as workers subject to workers’ compensation law,” making the measure “unenforceable.” Proposition 22 is aimed at cementing drivers for companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash as independent contractors rather than employees, though they would still have additional benefits.  CNBCBLOOMBERG 

Supreme Court temporarily halts Trump border policy reinstatement The Supreme Court is temporarily halting a federal judge’s order that would have forced the government to reinstate a Trump administration policy forcing migrants seeking asylum in the United States to remain in Mexico during processing. The Supreme Court’s temporary stay, issued by Justice Samuel Alito late Friday night, will remain in effect until Tuesday night while the justices consider filings in the case. President Biden suspended the Trump-era program, commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico”  policy, before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, ordered the White House to reinstate the program earlier this month. The Biden administration filed an emergency interview request before the Supreme Court on Friday after the Fifth Circuit of Appeals declined to pause Kascsmaryk’s order. CBS NEWSUSA TODAY 

Biden nominates veteran diplomat as Beijing ambassador President Biden has nominated veteran United States diplomat Nicholas Burns to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China, the White House said Friday. The move marks a shift for the role, Reuters notes. Over the past decade, former politicians have filled the posting in Beijing, but Burns is a retired career foreign service officer who served as under secretary of state between 2005 and 2008 during the second term of the George W. Bush administration. Before that he was the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2001 to 2005, and the ambassador to Greece from 1997 to 2001. Burns is not considered a China policy specialist, but if he’s confirmed by the Senate he’ll head to Beijing at a crucial time, as tensions remain high between Washington and Beijing. THE HILLREUTERS 

University of Virginia disenrolls 238 students for failing to comply with vaccine mandate The University of Virginia has disenrolled 238 students for not complying with its COVID-19 vaccine requirement. The students do have one week to comply with the mandate, which was announced in May and applies to all students living, attending classes, and working on campus in the fall. But a spokesman for the university said that only 49 of the students had enrolled in classes for the upcoming semester, so the others likely weren’t planning on returning anyway. All told, only a small number of students have so far failed to comply with the mandate — 99 percent of eligible students have done so, and a few others have religious or medical exemptions, though the latter group will have to undergo testing at least once a week. THE CAVALIER DAILYCNN 

United States Army major general William D. Taylor announces that the United States has evacuated 17,000 people, including 2,500 Americans, in the past weeks. (CNBC) 

The U.S. and Germany issues an advisory warning nationals not to travel to the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (Reuters) 

Chad recalls half of its 1,200 troops in the tri-border of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. The decision informed to the coalition by Chadian military was explained as a part of deploying troops elsewhere, where Chad faces other conflicts. (Reuters) 

Friday,  August 20th, 2021 

An assessment by the United Nations reports that the Taliban is conducting “targeted door-to-door visits” searching for opponents and their families, deepening concerns that the group will seek revenge. (Al Jazeera) 

The Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov says that the Panjshir resistance led by Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Massoud is “doomed”. Zhirnov also praises the Taliban and says that the situation in Kabul is better than it was when Ashraf Ghani was governing the country. (Reuters) 

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the United States for a second time this week. During the address, Biden said that the U.S. will evacuate any Americans who want to return to the U.S. He also announces that 18,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan in the past few weeks, and that 5,700 people were evacuated in the past 24 hours. (CBS News) 

Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez and the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Philip Goldberg announce that Colombia will temporarily receive up to 4,000 Afghan nationals who are awaiting a Special Immigrant Visa clearance. (Reuters) 

Gunmen open fire against civilians who were praying at a mosque in the village of Theim, in southwestern Niger, killing 16 people. (Reuters) 

A suicide bomber in Gwadar, Pakistan, blows himself up targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals, killing two children who were playing by the roadside. Three other people, including a Chinese citizen, are wounded. The Balochistan Liberation Army claim responsibility for the attack. (Al Jazeera) 

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett receives his third “booster” dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as Israel expands its booster dose campaign eligibility to people over the age of 40. (The Guardian) 

Portugal eases its COVID-19-related restrictions two weeks earlier than planned. Beginning on August 23, the country will allow eight people indoors and 15 people outdoors to sit together in bars and restaurants, and will also allow cultural events, weddings and baptisms to increase their capacity to 75% and permit restaurants, cultural venues and other businesses to remain open until 2:00 a.m. as the vaccination rate surpasses 70%. (Reuters) 

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves the country’s first monoclonal antibody cocktail drug (Ronapreve) developed by Regeneron and Roche to treat severe COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom. (Euronews) 

Cuba grants the emergency use approval for its second homegrown Soberana 2 vaccine. (Reuters) 

On her last official trip as Chancellor, Angela Merkel urges Russian President Vladimir Putin to release jailed activist Alexei Navalny. The Russian government rebuffed Merkel, saying that Navalny is in prison due to reasons not linked to politics. (Reuters) 

Ismail Sabri Yaakob is appointed as the 9th Prime Minister of Malaysia, following the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin amid the collapse of the government. (Malaysiakini) (The Independent) (DW) 

Thursday, August 19th, 2021 

A Taliban militant is stabbed by protestors in Asadabad while celebrating Independence Day. Fellow Taliban militants open fire on the crowd after the stabbing, killing two people and wounding eight others. Additionally, two people are injured during a protest in Jalalabad. (Al Jazeera) 

More incidents are reported at the airport in Kabul, as civilians try to escape the country. A total of 12 people have been confirmed to have been killed at the airport since the fall of the city, primarily due to stampedes and gun incidents. (Business Insider) 

Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old son of anti-Soviet mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, vows to resist a potential assault of the Taliban on Panjshir. Massoud, who is allied with self-proclaimed acting president Amrullah Saleh, says that the Taliban will face a “staunch resistance” if they attack. (Reuters) 

U.S. President Joe Biden says that the Taliban “must decide if it wants international recognition”, but that the group had not changed its priorities during the past 20 years. (RTE) 

The Pentagon announces that 7,000 civilians have been evacuated since August 14. (Axios) 

The Taliban declares the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. (Forbes) 

Toyota reduces its production quota for next month by 40% due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in Asia severely impacting the company’s supply chains, especially those involved in chip production. Up to this point, the company was one of the only major car manufacturers to avoid scaling back production during the pandemic. Volkswagen warns that it might also have to reduce its production quotas for similar reasons. (BBC) 

Content subscription service OnlyFans announces that it will ban sexually explicit material beginning in October. The policy changes, according to UK-based company, are “to comply with the requests of our banking partners and payout providers”. (Variety) 

The number of people over the age of 16 who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Australia surpasses 50%, with a record 309,010 doses administered yesterday. (ABC News Australia) 

Prime Minister Jacinda Arden‘s Cabinet grants approval for children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine beginning on September 1. (Newshub) 

Hong Kong and Singapore abandon plans to resume a “travel bubble” for quarantine-free travel between the two cities due to differing COVID-19 policies. (The Straits Times) 

The U.S. Supreme Court Building, the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, and other locations in Washington, D.C.‘s Capitol Hill area are evacuated after a man parked his truck in front of the Library of Congress and threatened to detonate a bomb while making anti-government statements. The man surrendered to the police several hours after he began his standoff. (CNBC) 

Rain falls on the summit of Greenland for the first time in recorded history. The rain shower dumped more than 7 billion tonnes of water on the ice sheet. (CNN) 

The End Sun Aug 29^th Post 

Thursday, August 19th, 2021 

A Taliban militant is stabbed by protestors in Asadabad while celebrating the Independence Day. Fellow Taliban militants open fire on the crowd after the stabbing, killing two people and wounding eight more. In Jalalabad, two people are also injured during a protest. (Al Jazeera) 

More incidents are reported at the airport in Kabul, as civilians are trying to escape. A total of 12 people have been confirmed killed at the airport since the fall of the city, during stampedes and gun incidents. (Business Insider) 

Ahmad Massoud, the 32-year-old son of late anti-Soviet mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, vows to resist a potential assault of the Taliban on Panjshir. Massoud, who is allied with self-proclaimed acting president Amrullah Saleh, says that the Taliban will face a “staunch resistance” if they attack. (Reuters) 

U.S. President Joe Biden says that the Taliban “must decide if it wants international recognition”, but that the group had not changed it’s priorities in the past 20 years. (RTE) 

The death toll of the earthquake in Haiti reaches 2,189. (Associated Press) 

Iran surpasses 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. (Radio France Internationale) 

Taliban commander says Afghanistan returning to Sharia law A high-ranking Taliban commander, Waheedullah Hashimi, confirmed Wednesday that the Islamist group was likely to rule Afghanistan under a system like one it used the last time it was in power two decades ago. “There will be no democratic system at all because it does not have any base in our country,” Hashimi said, adding that the country would be run under Sharia law. The United States is conducting talks with the Taliban to ensure safe passage for Americans and others trying to get to the Kabul airport to leave. Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled after the Taliban seized Kabul on Sunday, surfaced in the United Arab Emirates, and denied allegations that he fled Afghanistan with a large amount of cash. CNN 

Biden administration to offer coronavirus booster shots The United States plans to start an effort to distribute Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 booster shots the week of Sept. 20 in response to new data indicating that immunity from the vaccines gradually drops, leading U.S. public health authorities announced Wednesday. “We are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease,” said a joint statement by the officials, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock, and White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci. Boosters can help shore up immunity, “especially among those who are at higher risk or were vaccinated during the earlier phases of the vaccination rollout,” the officials said. CNBC 

Haiti hospitals overwhelmed as earthquake victims await aid Hospitals in Haiti on Wednesday struggled to treat as many of the more than 12,200 people injured in Saturday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake as they could. At least 2,189 people have been confirmed dead, but authorities feared the toll could rise as search crews reach remote areas. Heavy rains have delayed rescue efforts on parts of the Caribbean nation’s devastated southwestern peninsula. At least 75,000 homes have been confirmed damaged or destroyed. Dozens of people awaited treatment at the main hospital in the city of Jeremie. Doctors said that unless the most severely injured patients could be evacuated to better-equipped facilities, at least a third could die or lose limbs. Tensions have risen as frustrated victims await aid. CNN 

Jared Kushner friend pardoned by Trump faces state cyberstalking charges Ken Kurson, the former editor-in-chief of the New York Observer, was charged in New York state criminal court on Wednesday on felony charges of eavesdropping and computer trespass. Kurson is a close friend of former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and was pardoned by Trump seven months ago after federal prosecutors charged him with cyberstalking and harassing three people. Those allegations emerged during a routine background check after the Trump administration nominated him for a spot on the National Endowment for the Humanities board. The new, state charges involved the alleged use of spyware to monitor the computer use of Kurson’s wife at The Observer‘s Manhattan offices. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Education Department to counter state efforts to prevent mask mandates The Biden administration will use the Education Department’s civil rights enforcement authority to prevent states from banning mask mandates in public schools, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said Wednesday. The plan escalates the administration’s clash with Republican-led states, including Texas and Florida, that have ordered school districts and other local jurisdictions not to require face coverings to curb coronavirus infections, even in areas where the highly infectious Delta variant is rampant. Biden said he directed Cardona “to take additional steps to protect our children” as some governors set “a dangerous tone” by threatening to penalize school officials who require masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone wear face coverings in the classroom. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

‘Unprecedented’ Caldor Fire explodes in California The Caldor Fire continued its explosive growth in California’s El Dorado County on Wednesday, expanding to nearly 63,000 acres. The blaze has destroyed a school, a church, and many other buildings, and forced thousands of people to flee rural homes. The fire just started last weekend. Caldor fire response spokesperson Chris Vestal said its behavior has been “unprecedented,” with unusually high flame lengths and rapid expansion as it ripped through steep terrain, fueled by what Cal Fire described as “large amounts of dry vegetation.” The massive Dixie Fire, which has burned more than 635,000 acres, also continued to burn on Wednesday, threatening the communities of Janesville and Susanville in Lassen County.  LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Fed minutes show officials considering reducing stimulus Federal Reserve policy makers are considering dialing back their efforts to boost the economy later this year, according to minutes from the Fed’s late-July meeting that were released on Wednesday. Fed leaders are nearing a consensus on trimming the central bank’s $120 billion in monthly purchases of Treasury and mortgage securities at one of their remaining three 2021 policy meetings, the July minutes indicated. “Most participants noted that, provided that the economy were to evolve broadly as they anticipated, they judged that it could be appropriate to start reducing the pace of asset purchases this year,” the minutes said. Some officials were more cautious, suggesting the Fed should wait until next year to make sure the job market has fully recovered from the damage of the coronavirus pandemic. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Biden says U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan until evacuation complete President Biden said Wednesday that the U.S. would leave troops in Afghanistan beyond an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline if necessary to evacuate all Americans following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. “We’re going to stay until we get them all out,” Biden told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. The U.S. is running a massive evacuation effort from the Kabul airport, working on getting out as many as 2,000 people per day. About 10,000 to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan, as do tens of thousands of Afghan allies the Biden administration is trying to evacuate. “The commitment holds to get everyone out that in fact we can get out and everyone who should come out,” Biden said. “And I think we’ll get there.” USA TODAY 

Judge blocks permits for Alaska oil project U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason on Wednesday blocked permits approved by the Trump administration and backed by the Biden administration for ConocoPhillips’ Willow project to extract oil from Alaska’s North Slope. Gleason — an Obama appointee — found that the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to adequately assess the project’s climate impact and other environmental factors, including how it could harm polar bears, a threatened species. The decision marked a significant setback for the project, which could produce up to 160,000 barrels of oil per day west of Prudhoe Bay in the Alaskan Arctic. Environmental activists praised the decision, which ConocoPhillips said it would review as it evaluates potential changes to the project. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 

Three people are killed and 12 more are wounded during a shootout as civilians protest in Jalalabad against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan’s national flag. (Reuters) 

The United Arab Emirates confirms through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has been welcomed into the country along with his family on humanitarian grounds. (Reuters) 

The Afghan embassy in Tajikistan issues a request to INTERPOL to arrest former President Ghani on the accusation that Ghani stole from the country’s treasury when he left Afghanistan. (Forbes) 

Former President Ghani says that he left the country to avoid being lynched. He also denies reports that he left the country with cash and says that he is in talks to return to Afghanistan. (The New York Times) 

The Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that 15 more citizens of Kyrgyzstan have evacuated out of Afghanistan. (Kabar) 

During an interview with ABC News reporter George Stephanopoulos, U.S. President Joe Biden says that the U.S. is committed to getting every American out of Afghanistan, even if it means extending the mission past the August 31 withdrawal deadline. (ABC News) 

Oregon Governor Kate Brown announces in a statement that Oregon will accept refugees from Afghanistan, becoming the latest U.S. state to do so. (The Hill) 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that American troops will evacuate as many Americans and allied Afghan interpreters as they can, but also admits that the Pentagon lacks the capacity to do so. Austin also announces that around 5,000 people have already been evacuated. (Stars and Stripes) (NBC News) 

Two people are killed by wildfires that are affecting Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France, mostly near the city of Saint-Tropez. (The Guardian) 

Israel begins to require people over the age of 3 to show their vaccination certificate, a negative test result, or proof that they have recovered from COVID-19 in order to enter indoor places other than malls and stores. Additionally, there will be crowd size restrictions at large events and malls and stores will be required to limit their capacity to no more than one person per 7 square metres (75 sq ft). (Haaretz) 

Japan reports a record 23,917 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with new records also being reported in 27 prefectures. (The Japan Times) 

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces a snap lockdown, stating that the country’s first community infection of COVID-19 in six months, reported yesterday, is suspected of being a Delta variant case. The lockdown will last for seven days in Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula, and for three days in the rest of the country. (ABC News Australia) (Times of Oman) 

New Zealand announces that the country’s first community infection of COVID-19 in six months is also the country’s first confirmed case of the Delta variant, and that the total number of cases associated with the current outbreak has increased to 10. (9 News) (Japan Today) 

The Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk issues an emergency use authorization for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. (El Financiero) 

The Biden administration announces that, beginning on September 20, the U.S. will begin administering booster shoots of the Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines for most people who received their second dose at least eight months ago. (Business Insider) 

Fox News will require their employees to disclose their vaccination status into the company’s personnel records. (New York Daily News) 

Bulgaria reports an outbreak of African swine fever at an industrial farm with 13,000 pigs in the village of Apriltsi. (Reuters) 

Formula One announces that this year’s Japanese Grand Prix scheduled for October 8–10 has been cancelled due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Japan. (BBC Sport) 

The End Thursday 

Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 

Researchers at the Graubuenden University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland announce that they have calculated pi to 62.8 trillion digits, a new world record. (The Guardian) 

Three people are killed and 12 more wounded during a shootout as civilians protest in Jalalabad against the Taliban banner replacing Afghanistan’s national flag. (Al Jazeera) 

The United Arab Emirates confirms through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Afghan former President Ashraf Ghani has been welcomed along with his family on humanitarian grounds. (Reuters) 

The Afghan embassy in Tajikistan issues a request to INTERPOL to arrest former president Ashraf Ghani on the accusation that he stole from the country’s treasury when he fled Afghanistan. (Forbes) 

Former President Ghani says that he fled the country to avoid being lynched. He also denies reports that he left the country with cash. He also says that he is in talks to return to Afghanistan. (The New York Times) 

New Zealand enters an Alert Level 4 lockdown for seven days in Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula and three days for the rest of the country after the first locally-transmitted COVID-19 case in six months, later being confirmed as Delta variant, was reported. (Radio France Internationale) 

Israel begins to require people aged above three years old to show their vaccination certificate, a negative test result, or have been recovered from COVID-19 to enter indoor places excluding malls and stores. Additionally, there will be crowd size restrictions at large events and malls and stores will be required to limit capacity to one person per 7 square metres (75 sq ft). (Haaretz) 

The Biden administration announces that the U.S. will begin administering booster shoots of the Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines for most people who received the second dose eight months ago beginning from September 20. (Business Insider) 

Taliban leader arrives in Afghanistan The Taliban’s co-founder and de facto leader, Abdul Ghani Baradar, arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday, returning for the first time in more than a decade just two days after his Islamist group’s fighters regained control of the country. Taliban leaders made conciliatory comments at a news conference, promising not to discriminate against women, who were denied basic rights when the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan. U.S. and Afghan women said they were skeptical the Taliban would keep their promise of tolerance. Taliban leaders also said they would “pardon” Afghans who worked for the ousted government or foreign military forces. The United States military and allies continued to evacuate Afghans and other civilians seeking to escape Taliban rule.  THE WASHINGTON POST 

Body parts found in wheel well of plane from Kabul The Air Force on Tuesday confirmed that human body parts had been found in the wheel well of an American military C-17 cargo plane that took off from Kabul’s international airport, where crowds of Afghan civilians have been desperately trying to get onto evacuation flights to escape after the Taliban toppled the government. An undetermined number of Afghans have died in the chaos. Some of them climbed onto the wings of departing aircraft and fell to their deaths after the planes took off. “We are all contending with a human cost to these developments,” said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser. “The images from the past couple of days at the airport have been heartbreaking.” The military allowed commercial flights to resume Tuesday after pausing them while troops secured the airfield. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Texas governor tests positive for COVID-19 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. Abbott, a Republican, is fully vaccinated and gets tested daily. This is the first time one of his tests came back positive. Abbott’s office said he has not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms and is in good health. His wife, Texas first lady Cecilia Abbott, has tested negative for the coronavirus. Abbott last month issued an executive order barring local government entities in the state from imposing mask mandates to fight a surge of new coronavirus infections fueled by the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. The state Supreme Court upheld it, but at least one county and a school district are sticking with plans to require face coverings. CNN 

New Zealand imposes nationwide lockdown over 1st COVID case since February New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Tuesday that her government was imposing a national lockdown after confirming the country’s first COVID-19 case since February. Ardern said authorities assumed the infection was caused by the highly infectious Delta variant, although genome sequencing had not been completed to confirm that. The patient, an unvaccinated man, tested positive in Auckland, but had traveled elsewhere in the country. Under the lockdown, people must stay home for three days. All businesses except those deemed essential, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, must remain closed. The last time the country was under a “level four” lockdown was a year ago. CNN 

Caldor fire reduces California town to ‘pile of ash’ California’s Caldor fire expanded rapidly on Tuesday, ripping through the small town of Grizzly Flats fueled by high heat and dry conditions. The blaze scorched 30,000 acres, up from 6,500, and destroyed many buildings in the town, injuring two people. “It’s a pile of ash,” local resident Derek Shaves said of the town of 1,200 people. To the north, the massive Dixie fire — the largest of 100 wildfires burning in more than a dozen Western states — threatened Susanville, a town of about 18,000. Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, said it had started cutting power to 51,000 customers in parts 18 northern counties to prevent the threat of new fires from power lines knocked down by high winds. THE GUARDIAN 

Fed chair says pandemic has permanently changed U.S. economy  Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the coronavirus pandemic had permanently changed the U.S. economy. Powell told participants in a Fed virtual town hall for students and educators that the changes included an increase in remote work, more take-out meals offered by restaurants, and more virtual showings by real estate agents. “We’re not simply going back to the economy that we had before the pandemic,” Powell said. “It seems a near certainty that there will be substantially more remote work going forward. That’s going to change the nature of work and the way work gets done.” Powell said it was too early to say whether the recent surge in cases attributed to the fast-spreading Delta variant would prompt further changes. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

TSA to extend transportation mask mandate The Transportation Security Administration plans to extend the federal transportation mask mandate through Jan. 18, Reuters and CNN reported Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the matter. The policy had been scheduled to expire Sept. 13. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that there have been more than 2,867 cases in which passengers have violated the mandate. The TSA said it did “not yet have an announcement regarding face masks at this time.” Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson said the extension would “help tremendously to keep passengers and aviation workers safe.” The union represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 17 airlines. REUTERS 

Jaguars cut Tim Tebow, ending his NFL comeback attempt The Jacksonville Jaguars cut Tim Tebow on Tuesday, abruptly ending his attempt to revive his NFL career. The former quarterback and 2007 Heisman Trophy winner switched positions in a bid to return to pro football. He tried out for the Jaguars as a tight end. His performance in Jacksonville’s preseason opener against Cleveland was widely panned, with video of two botched blocks going viral. “We knew that was an uphill battle for Tim,” said coach Urban Meyer. “He has a bunch of good plays but can’t have a bad play at that position.” Tebow failed to catch any passes against the Browns, and he showed a lack of consistency on special teams. In college, Tebow helped Meyer and the Florida Gators win two national championships. After a short pro career, he tried his hand at baseball, but never made it to the big leagues. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Pete and Chasten Buttigieg to become parents Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Tuesday that he and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, were about to become parents, saying he was “overjoyed.” Buttigieg, the first openly gay person to be confirmed to a Cabinet post in U.S. history, said the couple had been hoping to “grow our family” for some time. “The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us,” Buttigieg said. “We can’t wait to share more soon.” Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Chasten Buttigieg said the adoption process had been a “cycle of anger and frustration and hope,” but they look forward to telling their future child “we waited so long for you.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Tuesday,  August 17th, 2021 

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby says that evacuations have resumed at Kabul‘s Hamid Karzai International Airport. (The Hill) 

Taliban member of the cultural commission Enamullah Samangani announces an amnesty across Afghanistan and urges women to join their government in the first mention of women’s rights by the group since seizing Kabul. Samangani did not specify what he meant by “amnesty”, but said that “the Islamic Emirate doesn’t want women to be victims” and that “they should be in the government structure according to sharia law“. (Kyodo News) 

The Taliban says that they will respect women’s rights and security under the Islamic Emirate. The Taliban also says that they have encouraged women to return to work and have allowed girls to return to school. (Associated Press) 

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says that the Taliban will hold their first news conference this afternoon in a media center in Kabul previously used by the former Afghan government. (Reuters) 

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says that the Taliban is prepared to provide safe passage to civilians who are attempting to leave Kabul. (CNBC) 

Amrullah Saleh, who served as First Vice President under former president Ashraf Ghani, claims on Twitter that he is now caretaker president, and that he refuses to surrender to the Taliban. Saleh is recorded travelling to Panjshir Province with Ahmad Massoud, who has declared his opposition to the Taliban and also called for anti-Taliban militia to assemble in Panjshir. (Hindustan Times)  

Russian intelligence sources reported that Panjshir resistance forces loyal to Amrullah Saleh had managed to re-capture Charikar and the surrounding areas of Parwan Province from the Taliban. (RIA Novosti) 

The eight people who went missing after their helicopter crashed into Kurile Lake in Kamchatka Krai, Russia, six days ago, are all found dead. Eight more people were on board but survived. (Wral) 

The Japanese government extends the existing state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, and also expands it to seven other prefectures from August 20 to September 12. (The Japan Times) 

New York City begins to implement mandatory proof of vaccination of at least one dose for people who want to dine in at restaurants or bars, watch public performances, or visit a museum or other cultural venue. However, the enforcement of these rules will not begin until September 13. (NBC News) 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19. His office says that he is fully vaccinated and is not currently experiencing any symptoms. (CNN) 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru Héctor Béjar resigns after a video of him claiming the Shining Path guerrilla group was propped up by the Central Intelligence Agency was published in local media. (Bloomberg) 

The first Afghan President after the 2001 United States invasion, Hamid Karzai, announces that he and his daughters will remain in Kabul as he appeals to the Taliban to respect his life and the lives of civilians in Afghanistan. (India Times) 

Biden defends Afghanistan withdrawal after Taliban takeover President Biden on Monday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. Biden blamed the Taliban’s swift toppling of the Afghan government on the failure of Afghanistan’s security forces to fight the Islamist insurgents. “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves,” Biden said. The Taliban’s return to power 20 years after they were driven out by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 touched off a chaotic evacuation effort. At least seven people were killed at the Kabul airport as panicked crowds of Afghans tried to escape the country as the Taliban took over. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden administration to announce need for COVID booster shots The Biden administration is expected to announce that most vaccinated Americans will need a booster shot to keep them fully protected against COVID-19, USA Today and The Washington Post reported Monday, citing sources familiar with the decision by administration health officials. All Americans, regardless of age, will be urged to get the booster eight months after they became fully vaccinated, according to the reports. The move is expected to be announced as early as this week. Boosters could be given starting in mid- or late September. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA said in July that boosters weren’t necessary, but data released since then has shown waning immunity among vaccinated people. The FDA last week authorized an extra dose for immunocompromised patients. USA TODAY

Taliban official says ‘amnesty’ declared in Afghanistan  A Taliban official said Tuesday that the Islamist group had declared an “amnesty” across Afghanistan. Enamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said women could join the government. The remarks amounted to the first public comments on how the group would govern Afghanistan after toppling the country’s fragile democratic government after a blitz across the country by Islamist insurgents. Many people have stayed home since the Taliban took control on Sunday, fearing a return to the ultraconservative Islamic policies, including stonings, public executions, and denial of women’s rights imposed by the group before the U.S.-led invasion that drove them from power following the 2001 terrorist attacks against the U.S.  ABC NEWS 

Federal government declares 1st-ever Colorado River water shortage Low water triggered the first federal declaration of a shortage in the Colorado River’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, on Monday. The lake, created by the Hoover dam, is projected to be 1,065.85 feet above sea level on Jan. 1, nearly 10 feet under a threshold requiring Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico to cut their water consumption in 2022. Drought, extreme heat, and other climate-change-driven factors already have reduced the water level to under 1,068 feet, or about 35 percent full, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which is responsible for managing water rights for states and Mexico. “This drought is like a boa constrictor. It just keeps getting tighter every year,” said Tom Davis, president of the Agribusiness and Water Council of Arizona. THE WASHINGTON POST 

COVID-19 cases hit record highs in 5 states Daily new COVID-19 cases rose to record highs in Florida, Louisiana, Hawaii, Oregon, and Mississippi over the weekend, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The per capita infection rates in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida were the highest in the nation, CNBC reported Monday. Louisiana had 126 cases per 100,000 residents as of Sunday, more than any state and more than three times the national average. Mississippi and Florida had 110 and 101 cases per 100,000, respectively. The records came as the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant drove a new surge just as schools prepared to resume classes at the end of summer vacation. “This current wave is the pandemic of the unvaccinated,” said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican. CNBC 

Safety regulators investigate Tesla’s Autopilot The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Monday said it had launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system. The investigation came after accidents involving at least 11 of the hundreds of thousands of Tesla electric cars using the system. The cars drove into parked firetrucks, police cars, and other emergency vehicles, the safety regulator said. The Autopilot system can steer, accelerate, and brake without driver input. The first fatal accident linked to the system occurred in 2016, when a Tesla Model S hit a tractor-trailer in Florida, killing the Tesla’s driver. “Driver monitoring has been a big deficiency in Autopilot,” said Raj Rajkumar, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University. “I think this investigation should have been initiated some time ago, but it’s better late than never.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Texas local officials keep mask mandates in place despite court loss Local officials in Texas said Monday that they would stick to their mask requirements in schools despite a state Supreme Court decision upholding Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning such mandates. The mask policies adopted by officials in Dallas County and San Antonio were adopted to fight a rise in infections driven by the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. The Dallas Independent School District, which resumed classes on Monday, said on its website that it was “still requiring that masks be worn while on district property.” Texas is one of eight states with Republican governors that have passed laws barring local officials from imposing mask mandates. REUTERS 

N.Y. man pleads guilty to online threats against Sen. Raphael Warnock A New York man has pleaded guilty to posting online violent threats against Congress and newly elected Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock before the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters, federal prosecutors announced Monday. Eduard Florea posted the comments on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 on Parler under the name “LoneWolfWar.” One of them said that Warnock would “have a hard time casting votes for communist policies when he’s swinging with the f***ing fish.” He commented on another Parler user’s post that “Dead man can pass s**t laws,” according to filings by prosecutors. Florea reportedly did not take part in the insurrection. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 29. CNN 

Prince Andrew person of interest in Epstein-related investigation U.S. prosecutors investigating British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and others connected the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are treating Prince Andrew as a person of interest, Reuters reported Monday, citing a source familiar with the inquiry. Investigators are seeking an interview with the prince to ask him about his relationship with Epstein, who reportedly was a friend of Andrew, Queen Elizabeth’s second son. The investigators from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York don’t believe they will get to question the prince. “He doesn’t seem to want to talk to us,” the source said. One woman who said she was abused by Epstein, Virginia Giuffre, said earlier this month that Andrew forced her to have unwanted sexual intercourse at Maxwell’s London home. REUTERS 

Monday,  August 16th, 2021 

China factory output slows, threatening global recovery China on Monday reported that factory output and retail sales growth slowed sharply in July, fueling concerns that surging coronavirus infections were threatening the global economic recovery. Industrial production in China, the world’s second largest economy, rose by 6.4 percent in July compared to a year earlier, according to data from Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics released Monday. Analysts had predicted a 7.8 percent increase, after June’s 8.3 percent rise. Retail sales rose by 8.5 percent, falling far short of the expected 11.5 percent increase. Retail sales jumped by 12.1 percent in June. Although China’s economy is back to pre-pandemic levels, businesses now face supply bottlenecks and new coronavirus restrictions. REUTERS 

Russia accuses President Ashraf Ghani of fleeing the country with “four cars and a helicopter full of cash” and that he also left money behind that could not be transported with him. Ghani’s whereabouts are still unknown although multiple sources say that he is currently in Tajikistan. (Reuters) 

Saudi Arabia calls on the Taliban and “all Afghan parties” to “preserve lives and property” and also states that “Saudi Arabia stands with the decision of the Afghan people without interference”. (Reuters) 

The Taliban sets up a cordon and blocks access to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport and also fires warning shots as civilians attempt to leave the country. (Al Jazeera) 

Kyrgyzstan says that they will accept 1,200 refugees from Afghanistan. Additionally, 500 visas will be issued to students. (Kabar)

U.S. troops shoot dead two “armed men” at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport as evacuations of Western diplomats and allied Afghans continue. (Wall Street Journal) 

Two people are recorded falling to their deaths from a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III flying over the airport. Local reports say that the stowaways landed on nearby rooftops. In a separate incident, three civilians are run over and killed while clinging to a U.S. jet on the runway. (NDTV) 

U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation following his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. In the address, Biden said that he “stands squarely behind” the decision to withdraw from the country and admits that the government’s collapse was “quicker than anticipated”. (The Independent) 

The United Kingdom deploys an additional 200 troops to Kabul to help airlift UK nationals and Afghans who worked with British forces during the war. (BBC) 

Uzbekistan shoots down an Afghan Air Force jet that crossed into its airspace. The pilot ejected and survived, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. (Reuters) 

Four Palestinians are killed and another is seriously injured after an undercover branch of the Israel Border Police raided a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The raid, which was organized to arrest a suspected Hamas member, resulted in the highest death toll in the area in months. (BBC) 

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Haiti two days ago increases to 1,297 people. More than 5,700 others are injured. (BBC) 

Around one thousand people are evacuated in Castile and León, Spain, as a wildfire spreads across the region. (Reuters) 

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issues an official water shortage declaration at the Lake Mead reservoir for the first time. The shortage will mean reduced water apportionments to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico beginning in October. (Reuters) 

France requires shoppers to show their “health pass” in order to enter 126 shopping centres that have a size of more than 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft) in Paris and 12 departments that reached a threshold of 200 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. (Radio France Internationale) 

The German Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends that all children between the ages of 12 and 17 receive a COVID-19 vaccine due to increased risks posed by the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. (Spiegel) 

Outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces that healthcare workers in the state will be required to be vaccinated by September 27. (WIVB-TV) 

Washington, D.C. announces that they will require healthcare workers and other health-related professionals to be vaccinated with at least a first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech or Moderna vaccine or a single-dose Janssen vaccine by September 30. (The Hill) 

The last living Khmer Rouge leader, Khieu Samphan, appears before a court in Phnom Penh in order to appeal his conviction and attempt to overturn it. The 90-year-old’s hearing is expected to last for only a few days as analysts say that it is very unlikely that he will succeed in his appeal. (Deutsche Welle) 

In an unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Uganda strikes down a 2014 law outlawing the distribution of pornography and wearing of “indecent” clothes as unconstitutional. Women’s rights groups in the country campaigned against the law since its inception, saying it unfairly singled out women for discrimination. (BBC) 

The Atlanta Falcons become the first National Football League team to have 100% of their players fully vaccinated. (ESPN) 

Afghanistan falls to Taliban Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on Sunday as Taliban forces took the capital city of Kabul, toppling the government. “If I stayed there, countless countrymen would have been martyred and Kabul city would also have faced destruction,” Ghani said. Afghan security forces put up no resistance as the Islamist insurgents reached Kabul following a sweep through city after city in the last week. The Taliban reversed a call for their forces not to enter the capital until an interim government was formed, sending their fighters in to “prevent chaos and looting” after Afghan police abandoned their posts. Five people died Monday at the chaotic Kabul airport, as Afghans tried to escape and U.S. troops guarded a massive effort to evacuate embassy personnel and other Americans. THE WALL STREET JOURNALREUTERS 

New N.Y. governor backs mask mandates for students New York’s incoming governor, Kathy Hochul, said on Sunday that she supported mask mandates for schoolchildren to help fight a surge of coronavirus infections driven by the highly infectious Delta variant. “I’m willing to speak to our legislative leaders and to take whatever action I need to protect people,” Hochul said on CNN’s State of the Union. Hochul said she believed mandatory mask-wearing was necessary for the safety of children, teachers, school administrators, and the wider community, although she said she would be flexible as circumstances changed. She said she would work closely with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a sharp contrast with the position of recently resigned Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who often clashed with de Blasio. REUTERS 

Dixie Fire threatens thousands more California homes The largest of 100 wildfires burning across a dozen states in the West threatened thousands of Northern California homes on Sunday. The month-old Dixie Fire was fueled by wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour over the weekend, as thunderstorms generated high winds and lightning strikes but little rain. “We’re definitely still dealing with the possibility of lightning. Winds are all over the place. Things are going to be pretty unstable for the next couple days,” said fire spokesman Edwin Zuniga. About 21,000 federal firefighters are battling the blazes, more than double the number sent to contain forest fires last summer, said Anthony Scardina, a deputy forester for the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest region. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Sunday, August 15th, 2021 

Singapore announces the first giant panda cub in the city-state when the 12-year-old panda Jia Jia gave birth to a cub at River Safari after being artificially inseminated with frozen semen from 13-year-old Kai Kai. (The Straits Times)  

Konstantin Pavlov, the pro-Russian mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, is found dead at his home with a gunshot wound. The National Police of Ukraine say that they are currently establishing the circumstances of the mayor’s death and have also opened a criminal case. (Reuters) 

Spain records the higest temperature ever of 47.4°C (117.3°F) in Montoro, province of Córdoba amid an historic heat wave. (El Periódico)its all because of depletion of ozone layer. 

The Taliban enters Kabul and seizes the presidential palace, overthrowing the government. (Sky News)  

President Ashraf Ghani agrees to form a team for negotiations and also agrees to step down and allow an interim Taliban government to govern the country amid the insurgent group’s advance. Among the people in the negotiation team is the first president of Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S. invasion, Hamid Karzai. (TOLO) 

President Ashraf Ghani and Vice President Amrullah Saleh leave the country and are currently in Tajikistan. (BBC News) 

Taliban officials indicate that there will be no “transitional government” in Afghanistan, saying that the group expects a complete transfer of power from the Ghani government. (Reuters) 

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres calls on the Taliban to exercise restraint and respect human rights, especially those concerning women and girls. Guterres also expressed concern at the civilian casualties in areas of conflict. (Reuters) 

In his first public comments since going into exile, ousted president Ashraf Ghani concedes that the Taliban has “won the war” in Afghanistan, saying that “they are now facing a new historical test. Either they will preserve the name and honour of Afghanistan or they will give priority to other places and networks”. (The Hindu) 

The Taliban captures Jalalabad, the provincial capital of the Nangarhar Province. The jihadist group faced no resistance as the Afghan military and provincial governor surrendered. Taliban forces also enter the Char Asiab District of the Kabul Province, advancing within 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of Kabul. (Reuters) 

The Afghan military transfers control of Bagram Airfield, formerly the largest U.S. airbase in the country, to the Taliban. Five thousand unlawful combatants are freed from the airbase’s military prison. (The Economic Times) 

Embassies of Western countries are evacuated and relocated at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. The Russian embassy is not evacuated, as it considers that “the situation in Kabul is a bit tense, but there is no war in the city”. The Turkish embassy also remains open. (The Guardian) 

U.S. Department of State spokesperson Ned Price announces that the U.S. Embassy is successfully evacuated. (CBS News) 

Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem says on Al Jazeera Mubasher that the war in Afghanistan is over. (Reuters)  

A passenger bus overturns on the M7 motorway, west of Budapest, Hungary, killing eight people and injuring dozens of other passengers. (Reuters) 

Israel recalls a top diplomat from Poland, after the country passed a law limiting property restitution for Jewish Holocaust survivors. (Politico Europe) 

The End